1 / 17

The Choices Program

The Choices Program. Teaching resources on current and historical international issues Watson Institute for International Studies and Continuing Education . Explore the Past… Shape the Future. Explore the Past… Shape the Future. Our Mission.

oakley
Download Presentation

The Choices Program

An Image/Link below is provided (as is) to download presentation Download Policy: Content on the Website is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use and may not be sold / licensed / shared on other websites without getting consent from its author. Content is provided to you AS IS for your information and personal use only. Download presentation by click this link. While downloading, if for some reason you are not able to download a presentation, the publisher may have deleted the file from their server. During download, if you can't get a presentation, the file might be deleted by the publisher.

E N D

Presentation Transcript

  1. The Choices Program Teaching resources on current and historical international issues Watson Institute for International Studies and Continuing Education Explore the Past… Shape the Future

  2. Explore the Past… Shape the Future Our Mission To empower young people with the skills, knowledge, and habits necessary to be engaged citizens who are capable of addressing international issues with thoughtful public discourse and informed decision making.

  3. www.choices.edu Curriculum • 40 published curriculum units • Paper, PDF, E-Text versions for all units, iBooks coming soon Free Digital Materials • Almost 1,000 Scholars Online videos • Online “Teaching with the News” current issues lessons Professional Development • Teacher Leadership Summer Institute • Webinars • State, regional and national conferences

  4. Unit Structure Student Text Teacher Resource Book • Well-crafted readings that make complex ideas and rich histories accessible to students. • 40-50 pages of background reading provided. • Each narrative leads students to consider a central controversial issue. • The central controversy is presented in a framework of competing options to be explored through a role play. • Supplemental documents included to enhance the unit of study. • Five to ten days worth of lesson plans provided. • Lessons are student-centered, focused on higher-order thinking, and address multiple learning styles. • Lessons draw on photos, literature, graphs, primary sources, etc. • Basic and advanced study guides included to correspond with each reading section. • Graphic organizers incorporated to help students organize and process the background readings.

  5. Types of Curriculum Units

  6. Lesson Types in Choices Units • Map & Data Analysis • Speech/Rhetoric Analysis • Document Analysis • Historical Reenactment • Creative Drama • Poetry/Song Analysis • Role Play Simulations • Persuasive Writing • Fiction Writing • Literature Analysis • Concept Formation • Image Analysis • Ethics • Chronology Analysis The cornerstone of any Choices curriculum unit is an options role play.

  7. Highlight a lesson from the specific unit here

  8. More on the specific unit here

  9. The Options Role Play • The role play asks students to consider multiple perspectives on a current or historical policy issue • Students take on the role of • Advocates for a policy option • TASK: Develop and present a persuasive presentation about their option • A group of citizens or a senate or congressional committee • TASK: Compare and evaluate the presentations made by the policy option groups and pose challenging questions to each of the policy option groups.

  10. Hints for Implementing the Options Role Play • Identify the core concept and issues that your students will need to know for the role-play activity and teach to these points. • Make the performance expectation clear to your students before they begin their preparations. • Provide concrete tasks for students to complete during their preparation. • Make sure that there is a balance in workload between the option presenters and the committee/citizens groups. • Take time to set the stage and establish the mood for the role play scenario.

  11. More Hints • Clearly explain the mechanisms of the role play and explicitly outline behavior etiquette. • During the role play, give as much control over to the students as they can handle. • Take time afterwards to debrief with your students. • Keep in mind that the students are learning both the role play process and the historical content.

  12. 1,000 Scholars Online • Free digital resource • Featuring renowned scholars and policymakers • Tailored for the high school learner • Complements our printed materials • Organized by student readings, lessons and by scholar

  13. Today’s Objectives Participants will: • explore a student-centered approach to teaching social studies. • experience a sample Choices lesson from the student’s perspective. • examine controversial issues from multiple perspectives.

  14. Experiencing the Options Role Play You will be assigned to one of the following groups: • Option 1: Type in the title for each option • Option 2: • Option 3: • Option 4 Type in the name of the committee or citizen group here

  15. Role Play Preparation • Option Groups: You will need to prepare a persuasive presentation to convince the committee group/citizens that your option is the best one to pursue. Be sure to address the following: • What values underlie your option? • Add in tasks specific to this role play here. • Committee Group: Develop question aimed at each option group that are challenging and designed to clarify differences among the options.

  16. The Choices Approach • Student-Centered • Incorporates Scholarship • Multiple Perspectives • Balanced • Deliberative • Emphasize 21st Century Skills

  17. For more information Visit Choices online at www.choices.edu

More Related